Govt official: Measures to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage should consider Hungarian cultural rights
Measures to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage should also take the “cultural rights” of the Hungarian minority into account, a deputy state secretary of the culture and innovation ministry said in Warsaw on Tuesday, after attending an informal meeting of EU culture ministers.
Máté Vincze said in a statement that the two-day meeting focused on preserving cultural heritage with a special focus on Ukraine, offering opportunities to young artists, and the EU’s new Cultural Compass initiative.
Commenting on restoring Ukraine’s cultural heritage, Vincze said that while most member states “already see Ukraine’s EU accession as a value”, Hungary will hold a referendum on the matter
Meanwhile, Hungarian artists’ organisations have accepted many Ukrainian refugees, offering them employment or opportunities to perform, and Hungarian museums are cooperating with Ukrainian counterparts to preserve cultural treasures, he said.
“At the same time, it is important that restoration can only start once there is peace in Ukraine, and so peace must be the foremost goal for everyone,” he said.
He also stressed that Ukraine “must do for achieving the accession.” The protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage must also include minorities, the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja) among them, he said. “Their cultural and language rights must be guaranteed.”
Regarding the EU Cultural Compass project, the deputy state secretary said the initiative will be supporting joint European cultural projects with funding and good practices.
He lamented that “certain member states see that, too, as a political tool, and trying to push their own political communication and agenda.” Hungary, on the other hand, “wants a professional programme based on cultural exchange programmes and access to culture,” he said.
“This project must not become a political tool, much less a tool of discrimination,” he said, pointing to the Erasmus and Horizon programmes, in which he said “Hungarian students were being discriminated against for political reasons.”
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While Ukraine is no longer a member of the CIS (it ceased participation after 2018), its approach to minority cultural heritage has some similarities to other post-Soviet states but also distinct differences, especially since 2014 and more so after 2022 due to the full-scale Russian invasion.
Here’s how cultural heritage programs for minorities apply in Ukraine, with attention to the current political, legal, and social context:
🇺🇦 Minorities in Ukraine: Who Are They?
Ukraine is home to many ethnic minorities, including:
Russians
Crimean Tatars
Hungarians
Romanians
Bulgarians
Poles
Jews
Roma
Belarusians
Greeks
Gagauz
🏛️ Legal & Policy Framework
Ukraine’s constitution guarantees cultural and linguistic rights to minorities, and this is backed by:
The Law on National Minorities (2022 revision) – enhances protections and aligns with EU standards.
The State Ethno-National Policy Strategy – promotes interethnic harmony and cultural preservation.
Decentralization Reform – gives more power to local communities, allowing regions with strong minority populations (e.g., Zakarpattia, Odesa) to support heritage programs more directly.
🎭 Cultural Heritage Programs and Support
Ukraine supports minority heritage through several key channels:
1. Language and Education
Minority schools and classes exist for Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, and Polish communities.
Crimean Tatar is taught and promoted, especially in exile since the annexation of Crimea.
Ukrainian authorities support mother-tongue education, though there’s tension with some minority groups over recent language laws emphasizing Ukrainian in public life.
2. Cultural Centers and Media
Dozens of state-supported ethnic cultural societies, publishing houses, and media outlets (TV/radio/newspapers).
The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory and the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience engage in documentation and support for ethnic culture.
3. Festivals and Folk Traditions
Local festivals celebrate ethnic customs (e.g., Hungarian Day in Berehove, Roma music festivals, Crimean Tatar cultural events).
EU-funded programs help promote traditional crafts, dance, and oral traditions.
4. Crimean Tatars
A unique case:
They are an indigenous people of Ukraine, with special legal protections since 2014.
The Ukrainian government supports Crimean Tatar language revival, digital archives, and cultural preservation projects.
The Mejlis (representative body of Crimean Tatars) works in exile with state and international partners.
🔍 Recent Developments
Ukraine has made efforts to align its policies with EU standards, especially as part of its EU candidacy process.
The Russian invasion caused cultural destruction and suppression of minority voices in occupied areas — especially targeting Crimean Tatars, Ukrainian Greeks, and others seen as pro-Ukrainian.
In response, Ukraine has ramped up documentation, digital preservation, and diaspora outreach.
⚠️ Challenges
Tensions over language laws with Hungary and Romania — who claim restrictions on minority education.
War has displaced many minority communities and endangered heritage sites.
Some minority groups (like Roma) still face social exclusion and poverty, limiting cultural engagement.
✅ In Summary:
Cultural heritage programs for minorities in Ukraine exist and are expanding, especially through:
Legal protection and recognition
Education in native languages
Support for cultural events, media, and NGOs
Special focus on indigenous peoples like the Crimean Tatars
Ukraine balances these efforts with nation-building in wartime, which creates ongoing tensions but also opportunities for inclusive identity-making.
Does Ukraine really have a culture, I did not even realize that they were civilized. Plesant surprise.
Why would anyone in Ukraine give a rsts ass about what Hungaryvwants, after Hungary tried to deliver Ukraine to Russia on a silver platter? As to Maria’s ignorant comment, Ukrainians consistently top Hungary in all ways, for centuries. Hungary main holidays celebrate defeats.